Suing for Looks Discrimination
Pretty people finish first — that’s a well-documented phenomenon. Folks who fall outside of cultural beauty norms — who are fatter or not white or less white or older or whatever else — make less money over their lifetimes. Economics professor Daniel S. Hamermesh suggests that people who are discriminated against because of their looks [...]
...read moreKansas Should Serve as a Warning to Virginia Women
This is a guest post by Dr. James Kenley.
These regulations, which demanded precise sizes for janitorial closets, no-variance room temperatures, and other ridiculous requirements, were purportedly established to protect the health and safety of women, but in truth had one and only one purpose: to shut down the three existing abortion facilities in the state.
Virginia Prisons Will Strengthen Policy Against Shackling Pregnant Inmates
This is a guest post by Katherine Greenier.
The DOC will now strengthen regulations that protect a pregnant inmate’s dignity and health, and the health and safety of her pregnancy. Ankle restraints or restraints that in any other way restrict the woman’s movement will not be used during transportation outside the prison, or during labor, delivery and post-partum recovery.
Review of Decriminalisation in New Zealand
I know I’ve been a little “all sex work all the time” in my posting lately (because it’s important, dammit) and I promise I’m not a total one-trick pony, but I thought some of you might this interesting. I linked to it in the comment thread on my post on the Swedish model. It’s the [...]
...read moreThis week in mother-blaming: child runs onto road, mother convicted
The story of Raquel Nelson, an Atlanta woman who witnessed her four year old son killed by a drunk driver and was subsequently convicted of vehicular manslaughter is the ‘Outrage of the week’ over at Lenore Skenazy’s blog Free Range Kids. And, frankly, what I feel about it is a shit-ton of outrage. In brief: [...]
...read more“Bad mom” doesn’t mean murderer
I’m writing in The Daily today about the Casey Anthony trial (disclaimer: I had nothing to do with that headline and I’m trying to see if it can be changed). A sample: The not-guilty verdict reached this week in the Casey Anthony murder trial set off a social media avalanche of indignation and cynicism directed [...]
...read moreNotes for Reporters Covering Rape Cases
Mother Jones, this is for you:* 1. In court, opposing parties each put on their theory of the case, backed up by evidence. Their theories of the case are never identical; that is why they are in court. But just because the defendant puts on a theory that differs from the plaintiff’s theory does not [...]
...read moreThe Rise of Afghanistan’s Fearless Young Feminists
A must-read over at UN Dispatch. A taste of the interview with feminist activist and Dickinson College sophomore Noorjahan Akbar: UN Dispatch: The abuse of women in Afghanistan is generally associated with rural conservatism and lack of education, but you recently initiated a facebook debate about sexual harassment and highly educated men from Kabul responded [...]
...read moreCasey Anthony is not guilty
Does this mean that Nancy Grace can quit her job now and fade into obscurity? Please tell me that’s what it means.
...read moreProsecutorial Responsibility
I’ve made my thoughts clear on the unraveling of the DSK case, but one aspect that should pointed out: The integrity with which Cy Vance’s office acted when they found information that could torpedo their main witness’s credibility. Reporters are calling this a “black eye” for Vance, but in fact he played by the rules [...]
...read moreThere Are No Perfect Accusers.
The big story in the news today is the release on Dominique Strauss-Kahn as the sexual assault case against him teeters. The New York Times features a breathtakingly victim-blamey article about the accuser’s credibility, detailing the ways in which she is not a perfect human being: The sexual assault case against Dominique Strauss-Kahn is on [...]
...read moreMen’s rights advocates promote terrorism
The right-wing blogosphere is rallying around Thomas Ball, a man who committed suicide outside of a courthouse apparently in protest of being forced to pay $3,000 in child support. Amanda notes that abusers routinely use threats of suicide to control their victims, and that given Ball’s suggestion that men team up to hurl Molotov cocktails [...]
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